New FIXED Itinery... please help for the train planning :)
Jul 30th, 2010, 07:32 PM
#122
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Back2Sabi, actually I think that is the point of their trip. Do it once as part of the plan, get the pictures in front of the iconic monuments, and cross Europe off the "list" of things to do in life.
Jul 31st, 2010, 04:01 AM
#123
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Meihan-
Frankly I am surprised you are still with us with all the abuse we have heaped upon you. In Paris, at least, to help the budget, you might consider staying in something like an ETAP hotel (Accor chain)in the outskirts that is close to a metrostop and getting 2 rooms (ask for bridal suites, haha).
As an example, we stayed in one in Montruil that was located about 200 meters from the metro and was also close to a Carrefour hypermarche to get cheap picnic food. Good luck.
I personally think you can pull this off with some tinkering. I used to travel a lot like you are considering , and I haven't changed all that much as I have gotten older.
Frankly I am surprised you are still with us with all the abuse we have heaped upon you. In Paris, at least, to help the budget, you might consider staying in something like an ETAP hotel (Accor chain)in the outskirts that is close to a metrostop and getting 2 rooms (ask for bridal suites, haha).
As an example, we stayed in one in Montruil that was located about 200 meters from the metro and was also close to a Carrefour hypermarche to get cheap picnic food. Good luck.
I personally think you can pull this off with some tinkering. I used to travel a lot like you are considering , and I haven't changed all that much as I have gotten older.
Jul 31st, 2010, 05:31 AM
#124
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Meihan -
I hope this trip works out for you. That said, I only really know London of the places you listed. I would suggest that out of the UK, either do London or Ireland/Scotland, not both. There is plenty to see in both halves of the UK. I live in London and no one should visit London for less than a week, in my opinion. It is also a very expensive city.
I am planning a trip to Paris, Rome, Florence, Venice in September too, so I've done a bit of research on hotels, etc. I was looking at 1 or 2 star B&Bs and take my word for it, if you want central locations, there is little below 50 Euros.
Oh and I sympathise with visa issues, I've just applied for mine for a trip in September!
Good luck!
I hope this trip works out for you. That said, I only really know London of the places you listed. I would suggest that out of the UK, either do London or Ireland/Scotland, not both. There is plenty to see in both halves of the UK. I live in London and no one should visit London for less than a week, in my opinion. It is also a very expensive city.
I am planning a trip to Paris, Rome, Florence, Venice in September too, so I've done a bit of research on hotels, etc. I was looking at 1 or 2 star B&Bs and take my word for it, if you want central locations, there is little below 50 Euros.
Oh and I sympathise with visa issues, I've just applied for mine for a trip in September!
Good luck!
Jul 31st, 2010, 06:03 AM
#125
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Meihan - I think that if you've already bought your rail passes, I think your 146 Euro budget will work just fine for your group with your expectations. It's really good that you took out Ireland and Scotland, as you just made your trip do-able.
Keep in mind that you can always fly to the UK to do a separate trip some time...
As to the quad room issue, the prior poster is correct that those rooms generally book up first. Keep that in mind. Don't forget the EasyHotel in London.... I've heard from some budget travelers that this was an excellent choice and location for their London stop.
Don't forget to Stop. Sit. Sip.
Keep in mind that you can always fly to the UK to do a separate trip some time...
As to the quad room issue, the prior poster is correct that those rooms generally book up first. Keep that in mind. Don't forget the EasyHotel in London.... I've heard from some budget travelers that this was an excellent choice and location for their London stop.
Don't forget to Stop. Sit. Sip.
Jul 31st, 2010, 06:10 AM
#126
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Days 3 thru 6 you're in Interlaken or travelling to and from it but you allocate 1 full day to Scotland? Non Sequitur right there.
Rule of thumb for itineraries like this: half the number of places you are trying to get to otherwise a LOT of what should be a fantastic trip to Europe is spent travelling from somewhere to somewhere else. You're in danger of missing out on what I tihnk you're looking for, based on your itinerary.
Rule of thumb for itineraries like this: half the number of places you are trying to get to otherwise a LOT of what should be a fantastic trip to Europe is spent travelling from somewhere to somewhere else. You're in danger of missing out on what I tihnk you're looking for, based on your itinerary.
Jul 31st, 2010, 06:52 AM
#128
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In Italy you can stay very cheaply -- as cheap as your budget -- in convents or monasteries. Look at this website: www.monasterystays.com.
Jul 31st, 2010, 12:04 PM
#130
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I'm glad you took out Ireland and Scotland. While I like to stay longer in each place now, I've traveled like you're doing, zipping through places with just a night or two in one spot. It helped us get a sense of where to return. It was a great adventure - things went wrong, things worked out, it was all fun.
We did return to places. Good luck and have fun!
We did return to places. Good luck and have fun!
Jul 31st, 2010, 06:42 PM
#134
<B>Charnees:</B>
"<i>What if there are two couples traveling together who are swingers?"
"Well, yeah, I didn't think of that, being a pretty boring person myself.</i>"
Don't give it a second thought. On another thread today, our PQ thought a question about heads on pints of beer was actually about oral sex. Seems to be a trend here
"<i>What if there are two couples traveling together who are swingers?"
"Well, yeah, I didn't think of that, being a pretty boring person myself.</i>"
Don't give it a second thought. On another thread today, our PQ thought a question about heads on pints of beer was actually about oral sex. Seems to be a trend here
Aug 1st, 2010, 02:10 AM
#135
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<< ellenem : THANKS for ur enlightment in EUrail i ve been confused with this for quite a time!! yes i know each country has its own train. but then let me ask this : if i can use eurail for bahn rides, then why my search come up with 0 result for koln - interlaken in eurail website but when i tried with bahn website it works ?>>
because you are doing it in English, and in English Koln is Cologne - put that in and you will get a result.
Hotels in your price range will probably not include breakfast, if it does then be aware that European breakfasts often include pork (I know you have not mentioned religeon but you said you are coming from Indonesia I know it might be an issue).
Scotland is not part of the SHengen area so you will need a different visa - have you looked into the cost and time for that?
Oops just noticed you have dropped them - good idea.
Travelling without insurance is crazy. Have you any idea how much it costs to see a Dr? Replace a passport? Replace lost tickets.
You are intending to drive, what if you run over someone's dog? or worse? You will be expected to pay compensation.
I have a relative who developed appendicitis in France - luckily, being British, there is a reciprocal agreement and he only paid about £100 - witthout that, or insurance the bill would have been more than your entire budget.
because you are doing it in English, and in English Koln is Cologne - put that in and you will get a result.
Hotels in your price range will probably not include breakfast, if it does then be aware that European breakfasts often include pork (I know you have not mentioned religeon but you said you are coming from Indonesia I know it might be an issue).
Scotland is not part of the SHengen area so you will need a different visa - have you looked into the cost and time for that?
Oops just noticed you have dropped them - good idea.
Travelling without insurance is crazy. Have you any idea how much it costs to see a Dr? Replace a passport? Replace lost tickets.
You are intending to drive, what if you run over someone's dog? or worse? You will be expected to pay compensation.
I have a relative who developed appendicitis in France - luckily, being British, there is a reciprocal agreement and he only paid about £100 - witthout that, or insurance the bill would have been more than your entire budget.
Aug 1st, 2010, 04:29 AM
#136
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KateIP : yes ive been excelling things thanks for ur suggestion.
rs899 : aye accor hotels, my friend has the international accor card i think that ll give us around 10 - 15 % disc. not bad eh.
sashh : oh we love pork!! haah. yes we understand we need uk visa to visit great brittain and about the insurance, apparently we HAD to buy an insurance to travel to Europe, its part of the Visa requirements. i dint know it, its my husband's part, handling visa issues.
Mimar : wow the monasteries are pretty cheapp haha.. but we dont fancy that.. rather stay in BnBs
Palenq : dude we r not swingers!
rs899 : aye accor hotels, my friend has the international accor card i think that ll give us around 10 - 15 % disc. not bad eh.
sashh : oh we love pork!! haah. yes we understand we need uk visa to visit great brittain and about the insurance, apparently we HAD to buy an insurance to travel to Europe, its part of the Visa requirements. i dint know it, its my husband's part, handling visa issues.
Mimar : wow the monasteries are pretty cheapp haha.. but we dont fancy that.. rather stay in BnBs
Palenq : dude we r not swingers!
Aug 1st, 2010, 04:31 AM
#137
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can anyone answer this??
if i bought select pass, can i book and print all the ticket trains from indo? so i can have all my transportation tickets n documents ready n not hassle about it anymore while traveling.
if i bought select pass, can i book and print all the ticket trains from indo? so i can have all my transportation tickets n documents ready n not hassle about it anymore while traveling.
Aug 1st, 2010, 05:00 AM
#138
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I use Select Passes and then book seat reservations online where allowed. There are no tickets with passes, just reservations IME. I print my seat confirmations and have them when I board. I cannot do this for Italy as the site does not accept US credit cards.
Aug 1st, 2010, 06:39 AM
#139
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If you do not need reservations on a train, you do not need tickets. Your Select Pass is your ticket. Be sure to fill in the date of travel on your ticket as soon as you board the train. There is a fine for not filling in the date. Just check out all the trains you will be using to see which require reservations. I believe all TGV trains in France do. I don't think you will be using Thalys, but it requires reservations and a supplement.
